Travel Reduction Program

The Travel Reduction Program (TRP) began in 1989 as part of the State of Arizona's response to a court ruling requiring greater efforts to reduce air pollution. One outcome of the ruling was the legislation of TRP state statutes that focus on employers and schools because the approximately 80 million commuter miles driven each weekday are a significant contributor to regional air pollution (ozone, particulate matter). Subsequent revisions to the statute and related Maricopa County ordinance (P-7) reduced the minimum employee site count to 50.

TRP Goals

Employers and schools are asked to reduce single occupant vehicle (SOV) trips and/or miles traveled to the work site by 10% each year for a total of five years, and then 5% for three additional years, or until a 60% rate of SOV travel is reached. Progress is tracked through an annual commute survey of employer/school sites. The results of the survey are used to develop an annual travel reduction plan that commits the employer/school to implementing and documenting various strategies to reduce SOV trips or miles.

Business & School Compliance Assistance

The Department assists employers with their travel reduction programs by:

Providing and distributing commuter questionnaires for the TRP annual survey

Generating a statistical summary analysis of the TRP annual survey results for each site

Offering travel reduction plan development assistance, program overview and education

Courtesy site visits and event outreach assistance

Reviewing travel reduction plans and recommending for approval or rejection

Monitoring the implementation of approved travel reduction plans by conducting site and phone audits